New Albany resident inspires community

Born on July 21, 1997, Daniel Rako’s first year of life was full of ifs.

Jill Clark

If he could live past one day, one month, one year… if he could have any cognitive movements… if he could survive a grueling gauntlet of 11 surgeries in his first year, maybe it could all lead to more.

Rako was diagnosed with spina bifida myelomeningocele, a birth defect leaving his spine protruding through his back in two pieces, when he was born.

In January 2024, Rako passed away at the age of 26 having touched the lives of many people in New Albany and beyond. Despite the challenges he faced, Rako lived every day embodying his motto, ‘It’s possible,’ never letting anything get in his way.

Living life to its fullest

Before Rako was even born, he was diagnosed with his rare condition, which limited most of his movement and left his legs, kidneys and several other organs paralyzed. Despite the odds being stacked against him, Rako made it his mission to not let his condition affect how he lived his life.

“Daniel saw the mountain, and he wanted to climb it. He got over it and said, ‘Where’s the next one?”’ Jill Clark, Rako’s mother and primary caregiver, says. “He lived so big, his life was so full.”

Jill Clark

After graduating from New Albany High School, Rako attended two semesters at The Ohio State University where he studied sports management and worked as an usher inside the ‘Shoe during Buckeye football games.

Rako was an enormous sports fan, whether for professional teams such as the Cincinnati Reds or Bengals, or hometown favorites like the Ohio State Buckeyes or New Albany Eagles.

Go Eagles

Rako didn’t just cheer from the sidelines, he was an athlete himself. As one of the first members of New Albany’s Special Olympics team he competed in wheelchair races, basketball games and many other sports and activities.

Over the course of his high school career, Rako lettered eight times before lettering four times during his time in Special Olympics. He was also awarded an additional four letters for his unmatched dedication to Eagles football.

Rako’s involvement with the New Albany Eagles football team started around the same time as his Special Olympics career. He loved his high school football team and was determined to be a part of it in any way he could.

Jill Clark

Clark says after talking with then head coach Pat Samanich and defensive coordinator Matt “Bubba” Kidwell about Rako’s love for the sport, they knew he had to join the team.

Rako started as the team’s equipment manager, making sure that the team’s items were all together before the game as well as sanitized. He made it his mission to attend every game, being right there on the sidelines to support his team, and he did just that thanks to the accompaniment of his good friend, and Special Olympics coach, Paul Thomas.

The two first met at the football games and after what Thomas describes as a “funny little circumstance,” their friendship grew, eventually leading Thomas to go to every Eagles game with Rako.

“I started taking him (to the games), and we would go on these road trips together and just talk,” Thomas says. “I don’t know if I would have driven an hour on a Friday night if my oldest son wasn’t playing, but for Daniel, oh yeah, we weren’t gonna miss it. Daniel was just a very fun, open, young gentleman.”

As he got more involved, Rako also worked as a field and sideline monitor, ensuring players and coaches did not step too far out onto the field both for safety and penalty reasons.

After graduating high school, Rako moved into a more prominent role as one of the coaches, sitting in on coaching meetings and helping at practices and with preparations for upcoming games.

The Daniel effect

Rako’s motto goes hand in hand with what many recognized as the Daniel effect, a positive and light atmosphere that he brought everywhere he went.

Jill Clark

Even though Rako didn’t snap a single ball throughout his career with the Eagles, his presence on the sidelines, at the practices and at meetings were some of the most impactful moments.

“I think Daniel did more for the players than he knew,” Thomas says. “New Albany football meant everything to him, but for the players, they got that much out of Daniel too, and he didn’t even know it.”

Thomas’ favorite memories with Rako come from the football games they attended together. Of the countless ones they made together, some of the ones that stand out the most are when Rako would return to the sidelines after having to step away.

“If Daniel was out for a game or two because of surgery or something, I always loved when we came back to the sidelines the very next week or two weeks (later), we would show up and just to see the coaches light up,” Thomas says.

No matter where Rako went, whether a grocery store, a local event or anywhere around New Albany, he was greeted and met with fist bumps and hugs. This love and support followed him well after his time at New Albany High School and was passed on to his family.

“His calling hours were only supposed to be a couple hours, because it’s all I thought my heart could take and my physical being could take,” Clark says, “but it ended up being like five hours because there were so many people in line.”

The number of people that Rako touched with his infectious energy may never stop growing as the Daniel effect continues to reach new people every day

“I knew that Daniel connected with so many people throughout our community, but to see it on display was just beautiful,” Clark says. “It was just such a tribute to him, such an honor and just reinforces my belief in humanity. We’re all more alike than we are different.”